This invention relates to an image forming system having a personal computer for a client connected on a local network and a plurality of color digital copying machines having a printing function connected via a controller, for example.
In recent years, an image forming system having a personal computer (client PC, terminal) for a client connected on a local network (LAN, communication line) and a plurality of color digital copying machines (printing devices) having a printing function connected via a controller is proposed.
In the image forming system, a printing process is effected by the digital copying machine based on a printing job from the client PC.
In the above image forming system, private printing can be effected in order to protect the security of the printing job.
The private printing is effected as follows.
First, private printing is instructed and a password is input when printing is instructed by the client PC.
Further, printing jobs for the private printing are previously stored in the printing device and a list of printing jobs for the private printing stored is displayed based on the instruction of the private printing from a control panel. According to this display, a printing job which is desired to be printed is selected and the same password as the password input by the client PC is input. If the passwords coincide, the digital copying machine performs the printing of the printing job.
By using the above method, the security when. printing of high security level such as a confidential document, for example, is performed is attained (refer to Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication Heisei No. 11-31061).
Further, in the above image forming system, when a large number of copies are printed, a system in which loads of the printing job are distributed (tandem printed) to two or more printing devices to enhance the processing speed is proposed (refer to Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication Heisei No. 11-282645).
If the client PC specifies the distributed printing process (tandem printing) in the two or more printing devices for such a large number of copies, the instruction specified by the client PC cannot be changed on the printing device side.
That is, the tandem printing is to distribute a large amount of printings to a plurality of printing devices and process the same and time can be reduced by instantly starting when printing data is supplied to each printing device.
Therefore, a concept of switching to single printing for collectively printing them by one printing device after the client PC specifies the tandem printing is not present.
Further, if an attempt is made to effect the tandem printing when the private printing is effected, printing is effected by different printing devices installed in different places and the inherent security of the private printing does not function, and therefore, the tandem printing is set so as not to be effected when the private printing is effected.
However, in a state wherein a plurality of printing devices which effect the tandem printing are set close to each other and the printing operations thereof can be simultaneously monitored, the tandem printing can be effected at the time of private printing without losing the security function.
Since it is required to effect a subject identifying process on the printing device side when the tandem printing is effected at the time of private printing, it is desired to develop a system in which the tandem printing and single printing can be switched at the above processing time.
In an image forming system which comprises at least one terminal and first, second image forming apparatuses connected to the terminal via a communication line, for respectively effecting image formation on image forming media based on an image forming job from the terminal and in which the first, second image forming apparatuses are set close to each other, an object of this invention can provide the image forming system in which a change to distributed image formation by the first, second image forming apparatuses can be made on the first image forming apparatus side when image formation only by the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus for private image formation is instructed from the terminal.
Further, the numbers of copies in the distributed image formation by the first, second image forming apparatuses can be freely set.
Further, the number of copies in the distributed image formation by the first, second image forming apparatuses can be set based on the processing abilities of the first, second image forming apparatuses.
Further, in an image forming system which comprises at least one terminal and first, second image forming apparatuses connected to the terminal via a communication line, for respectively effecting image formation on image forming media based on an image forming job from the terminal and in which the first, second image forming apparatuses are set close to each other, an object of this invention can provide the image forming system in which a change to image formation only by the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus can be made on the first image forming apparatus side when distributed image formation by the first, second image forming apparatuses for private image formation is instructed from the terminal.
In an image forming system which comprises at least one terminal and first, second image forming apparatuses connected to the terminal via a communication line, for respectively effecting image formation on image forming media based on an image forming job from the terminal and in which the first, second image forming apparatuses are set close to each other, this invention is the image forming system characterized in that the terminal includes transmission means for transmitting an image forming job having a password, for causing the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus to independently effect image formation to the first image forming apparatus and the first image forming apparatus includes receiving means for receiving the image forming job having the password and transmitted from the terminal, storage means for sequentially storing the image forming job having the password and received by the receiving means, first display means for displaying image forming jobs stored in the storage means, selecting means for selecting one of the image forming jobs displayed on the first display means, input means for inputting the password of the image forming job, determining means for determining whether the image forming job is permitted or not according to whether or not the password input by the input means and the password of the image forming job selected by the selecting means coincide, second display means for displaying a selection screen which indicates whether or not the independent image formation by the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus is switched to distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses when it is determined by the determining means that the image forming job is permitted, first execution means for executing distributed image formation on image forming media by the first, second image forming apparatuses with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means when switching to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses is selected according to the display of the second display means, and second execution means for executing image formation on an image forming medium in the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means when switching to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses is not selected according to the display of the second display means.
In an image forming system which comprises at least one terminal and first, second image forming apparatuses connected to the terminal via a communication line, for respectively effecting image formation on image forming media based on an image forming job from the terminal and in which the first, second image forming apparatuses are set close to each other, this invention is the image forming system characterized in that the terminal includes transmission means for transmitting an image forming job having a password, for causing the first, second image forming apparatuses to distributedly effect image formation to the first image forming apparatus and the first image forming apparatus includes receiving means for receiving the image forming job having the password and transmitted from the terminal, storage means for sequentially storing the image forming job having the password and received by the receiving means, first display means for displaying image forming jobs stored in the storage means, selecting means for selecting one of the image forming jobs displayed on the first display means, input means for inputting the password of the image forming job, determining means for determining whether the image forming job is permitted or not according to whether or not the password input by the input means and the password of the image forming job selected by the selecting means coincide, second display means for displaying a selection screen which indicates whether or not the distributed image formation by the first, second image forming apparatuses is switched to independent image formation in the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus when it is determined by the determining means that the image forming job is permitted, first execution means for executing image formation on an image forming medium by the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means when switching to the independent image formation in the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus is selected according to the display of the second display means, and second execution means for executing distributed image formation on image forming media in the first, second image forming apparatuses with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means when switching to the independent image formation in the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus is not selected according to the display of the second display means.
In an image forming system which comprises at least one terminal and first, second image forming apparatuses connected to the terminal via a communication line, for respectively effecting image formation of a plurality of copies on image forming media based on an image forming job from the terminal and in which the first, second image forming apparatuses are set close to each other, this invention is the image forming system characterized in that the terminal includes transmission means for transmitting an image forming job having a password, for causing the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus to independently effect image formation of a plurality of copies to the first image forming apparatus and the first image forming apparatus includes receiving means for receiving the image forming job having the password and transmitted from the terminal, storage means for sequentially storing the image forming job having the password and received by the receiving means, first display means for displaying image forming jobs stored in the storage means, first selecting means for selecting one of the image forming jobs displayed on the first display means, input means for inputting the password of the image forming job, determining means for determining whether the image forming job is permitted or not according to whether or not the password input by the input means and the password of the image forming job selected by the first selecting means coincide, second display means for displaying a selection screen which indicates whether or not the independent image formation by the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus is switched to distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses when it is determined by the determining means that the image forming job is permitted, second selecting means for selecting switching to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses according to the display on the second display means, third display means for displaying a setting screen of the respective numbers of copies which are subjected to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses when the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses is selected by the second selecting means, setting means for setting the number of image formation copies in the first image forming apparatus and the number of image formation copies in the second image forming apparatus according to the display of the third display means, first execution means for executing distributed image formation on image forming media by the first, second image forming apparatuses with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means based on the numbers of image formation copies set by the setting means, and second execution means for executing image formation of a plurality of copies on image forming media in the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means when switching to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses is not selected by the second selecting means.
In an image forming system which comprises at least one terminal and first, second image forming apparatuses connected to the terminal via a communication line, for respectively effecting image formation of a plurality of copies on image forming media based on an image forming job from the terminal and in which the first, second image forming apparatuses are set close to each other, this invention is the image forming system characterized in that the terminal includes transmission means for transmitting an image forming job having a password, for causing the first image forming apparatus to independently effect image formation of a plurality of copies to the first image forming apparatus and the first image forming apparatus includes receiving means for receiving the image forming job having the password and transmitted from the terminal, storage means for sequentially storing the image forming job having the password and received by the receiving means, first display means for displaying image forming jobs stored in the storage means, first selecting means for selecting one of the image forming jobs displayed on the first display means, input means for inputting the password of the image forming job, determining means for determining whether the image forming job is permitted or not according to whether or not the password input by the input means and the password of the image forming job selected by the first selecting means coincide, second display means for displaying a selection screen which indicates whether or not the independent image formation by the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus is switched to distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses when it is determined by the determining means that the image forming job is permitted, second selecting means for selecting switching to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses according to the display on the second display means, deciding means for deciding the numbers of image formation copies in the first, second image forming apparatuses based on the respective processing abilities of image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses when the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses is selected by the second selecting means, first execution means for executing distributed image formation on image forming media in the first, second image forming apparatuses with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means based on the numbers of image formation copies decided by the deciding means, and second execution means for executing image formation of a plurality of copies on image forming media in the first image forming apparatus or second image forming apparatus with respect to the image forming job which is determined to be permissible by the determining means when switching to the distributed image formation in the first, second image forming apparatuses is not selected by the second selecting means.